FEUP Highlights 2017

HIGHLIGHTS FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO 2017

ENGINEERING

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CONTENTS

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p24 EDITORIAL

3 The role of research in the education and innovation

ABOUT FEUP

4 FEUP in brief 5 U.Porto, a driving force for the Northern region, an international player 6 A comprehensive education 7 Research and Innovation for the real world 8 Alumni Commitment 9 Social Responsibility

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TO INNOVATE

10 6 million Euros for research projects in FEUP’s R&D Units 11 FEUP and FMUP conduct abdominoplasty clinical trials 12 FEUP and FCNAUP create prototype portable salt dispenser 13 Smart luggage system from the hands of FEUP students

TO UNDERTAKE

14 FEUP: the innovation player in the Portuguese railway cluster 17 Interview to Augusto Costa Franco: “We are serving and attacking significant global markets”

TO ACT

20 A unique volunteering experience in the Amazon jungle

TO WIN

24 Adélio Mendes awarded 2016 University of Coimbra Prize 25 FEUP researchers create groundbreaking GPS 26 Participation in the final of Kiruna as seen from the inside

TO PROMOTE

28 The centenary of the Technical Faculty: what are we celebrating?

30 FEUP collaborates in projects to promote science in primary and secondary education

ANNUAL REPORT 2016 31 2016 in review

FEUP IN FIGURES 2016 38 Facts & figures 2016

TO COOPERATE

22 Brazil: our prime exporter of talent

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 Publisher Communication Division of the Faculty of Engineering - University of Porto dci@fe.up.pt Editorial board Carlos Oliveira and Raquel Pires Redaction Carlos Oliveira, Raquel Pires and Helena Peixoto noticias@fe.up.pt Design and layout César Sanches design@fe.up.pt

Photography Álvaro Martino, Egídio Santos, Filipe Paiva, Francisco Piqueiro, Mariana Ferrand and Susana Neves

Print & Production Empresa Diário do Porto, Lda. Porto 05 - 2017

Translation Jonathan Lewis

Publication frequency Annual

Property Faculty of Engineering - University of Porto

Circulation 1500 copies

Head Office Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal Tel: +351 22 508 1400 e-mail: dci@fe.up.pt | url: www.fe.up.pt

ISSN 2182-9411 Legal deposit 360125/13

Cover photo: ©ESA/NASA Porto, City of the Bridges, facing the Atlantic - by Thomas Pesquet

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The role of research in the education and innovation João Falcão e Cunha *

FEUP aims to develop education, research and innovation activities at the international level. The creation, transmission and dissemination of knowledge, the training of highly competent and ethical professionals, and of future leaders in the field of engineering, as well as the promotion of the wellbeing of the global society, are the results of such activities.

Research activity, creating new knowledge with sound scientific basis, is being expanded throughout our community, especially in the context of the research units. This activity, almost always undertaken in collaboration with other national and international institutions, supports cutting-edge education, allowing students learning to be based on upto-date knowledge relevant to the future of our economy and society. It is expected that creativity and contact with current problems will allow some research results to lead to valuable ideas, for example by creating new products, services, processes or companies - put plainly, to innovate.

The excellence of our graduates and the high quality of the work conducted by our research units, due in no small part to the dedicated involvement of our whole community, has been a key aspect in attracting global companies to grow their activities significantly in the Porto region. We want to strengthen relationships with the most dynamic and innovative organizations, and learn from new challenges.

The year 2016 was full of very good news and inspiring events, some of which are featured in this issue of Highlights. As examples, we can point to the increasing quality of applicants to our courses, and the growth in the number of international students seeking FEUP as a place to study, gain research experience, or obtain their academic degree.

This issue of Highlights presents many examples of how our national and international activity is having a great impact on shaping the positive development of the world we live in. This activity includes joint pioneering education programmes, advanced research networks, and new alumni related initiatives.

The UP Clérigos project for inclusive visits to the Church and Clérigos Tower in Porto, was the winner of IUP25K. Researchers João Moutinho, Diamantino Freitas and Rui Araújo applied their new Audio GPS research to enable visually impaired people to visit monuments.

The Merit Medals from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education were awarded to Prof. Alírio Rodrigues and Prof. Pedro Guedes de Oliveira for their contributions to Science and Technology.

FEUP is a partner in several national and international economic clusters, involving multidisciplinary research teams. One of these is the Railway Cluster, Plataforma Ferroviária Portuguesa, which includes many Portuguese organizations interested in innovation. In this regard, we would like to highlight the interview with Augusto Costa Franco, from Nomad Tech, a Joint Venture by Nomad Digital, the global leader in high-availability wireless solutions for the transportation sector, and EMEF, the Portuguese Railways company responsible for rolling stock maintenance. Nomad Tech arose from research at FEUP. We also highlight the adventure of a student who spent a gap year in Amazonia on a volunteer program working with children in a village, and, closer to FEUP, volunteer collaboration in projects with local Portuguese primary and secondary schools to promote science, and increase the level of scientific knowledge in young students.

We remain determined to improve the quality of education, research and innovation in a more competitive, and increasingly complex international context. This also involves establishing new relations with partners in academia and in other organizations, and being open to new opportunities for carrying out work beneficial to our society.

We endeavor always to value research quality, and we are sure that advanced research activities will enhance education and innovation, aiming at a better society. *FEUP Dean

We report on how Prof. Adélio Mendes was the recipient of the very prestigious University of Coimbra 2016 Award. The University of Coimbra, founded in 1290, is one of the oldest European universities.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

Photo: Egídio Santos

EDITORIAL

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ABOUT FEUP

Founded in 1926, the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP) is the largest of the 14 faculties that constitute the University of Porto. With its origins in the Polytechnic Academy, created in 1837, FEUP is a leading institution of international repute, whose achievements in research and teaching have led to its current position at the forefront of engineering schools.

FEUP’s claim to be an international School of Engineering is not simply due to the ever-increasing number of foreign students who choose it as their destination every year, and for whom specific welcome and integration programmes have been developed; nor is it merely a result of the many foreign researchers who enrich the scientific work carried out by the Faculty and bring a multicultural atmosphere to the campus. Important though this international community is, the main thrust of internationalization at FEUP comes from the cooperative relations that it maintains with businesses and prestigious higher education institutions in Europe and the rest of the world, with special emphasis on the USA and Brazil. This collaboration covers aspects as diverse as the establishment of joint degrees, applied research, professional training and mobility programmes for students and staff.

FEUP has come to expand its basis of cooperation, also participating in major international networks and prestigious engineering associations such as CESAER - Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research.

Global recognition of FEUP’s quality can also be seen in the high position it occupies in the most respected international Engineering rankings. This, along with the excellent comprehensive training it offers, provides its students with outstanding advantages in both the national and worldwide labor markets.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

Photo: Francisco Piqueiro

FEUP in brief For the past 180 years FEUP has played a leading institutional role in the economic development of the city, the region and the country, both in terms of the quality of its education, producing engineers of world-class standard, and the scientific and technological breakthroughs that it has made, which have contributed to global scientific development, industrial progress and social well-being.

A DYNAMIC ATMOSPHERE FEUP is located on the university campus in Asprela. More than a campus, Asprela is a true innovation district which is home not only to other faculties of the University of Porto and schools of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, but also to private universities, a central teaching hospital, an institute of oncology and various research institutes, both foreign and domestic. It is primarily a technological location, where the strong presence of engineering technologies, health sciences and entrepreneurship lend considerable impetus to the process of innovation.

Asprela is also where the core of the University of Porto’s Science and Technology Park (UPTEC) is located. UPTEC is a structure which brings together or incubates more than two hundred fledging businesses; it was recognized in 2013 with the Regio Stars Award in the category “Smart Growth”, organized by the European Commission - the first time a Portuguese university had received an award for regional development projects at European level.

All in all, the Asprela campus is brimming with the entrepreneurial spirit and multidisciplinary research that have allowed FEUP to break new ground in which to operate and thus broaden its expertise. Today, FEUP houses the facilities of the Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (INEGI) and the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC).

ABOUT FEUP

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The University of Porto (U.Porto), located in the north of Portugal, is increasingly becoming a major contributor to global networks of academic and scientific excellence, helping to promote the worldwide transfer of its research results. As a research university, it contributes significantly to the country’s scientific output.

U.Porto is also aware of the crucial role it plays in socioeconomic development, both at regional and national level, through its interaction with society at large and the productive base in particular. It is, therefore, placing increasing emphasis on raising the value of its research activity by means of transferring knowledge and technologies to industry and creating partnerships with businesses, which have resulted in innovations with proven success in both national and international markets. In 2015, together with the University of Minho and the University of Trás-osMontes e Alto Douro, the University of Porto created UNorte.pt, the first consortium of higher education institutions in Portugal: this cooperation brings the Northern region to a strong position not only in terms of joint applications to the new EU Framework Programme 2020, but also facilitates collaboration in other fields of expertise as well as in attracting international students to the region. International recruitment has, indeed, been given a new framework following national approval of the International Student Statute, which enables graduate level foreign students to be admitted in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions.

U.Porto participates in various European education programmes, which have contributed to its growing appeal.

When it comes to foreign mobility students, enrollments have increased significantly, together with the number of mobility partnerships with top-rated higher education institutions.

In Portugal, U.Porto is the preferred choice for those applying to enter higher education establishments, which means that every year the number of applicants is greater than the number of available places. U.Porto is a comprehensive institution, with a large number of faculties and schools providing a diverse range of knowledge, continually interacting and offering opportunities for training

Photo: R.R.

U.Porto, a driving force for the Northern region, an international player

at all stages of life. As the university’s main aim is the allround education of its students, it also offers numerous extra-curricular activities in such diverse areas as sports, the arts, entrepreneurship and voluntary service.

Recognition of U.Porto as an institution of excellence is reflected in the high place that it occupies in international rankings. U.Porto is a key academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking and Ibero-American worlds and its leading international role is reinforced by the prestigious ties of cooperation that it has with countries which share linguistic or historical kinship.

THE CITY OF PORTO Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, after its capital Lisbon. Whoever visits Porto for the first time immediately feels the pulse of a city that is not just the regional capital of northern Portugal, but also the main trading centre in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. Traditionally known for its Port Wine trade, the region is home to a large cross-section of Portuguese industry, in particular the sectors of timber, furniture-making, textiles, garment manufacturing, footwear, metal-working and various engineering industries. Its commercial activity is facilitated by the cargo terminal at the port of Leixões, which handles 25% of the country’s international trade, and also by Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, consistently elected as one of the best in Europe for the last 11 years.

The historic centre is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site and its charm and beauty cast a special spell on the city of Porto. But no less enchanting are the modern buildings designed by acclaimed names in architecture such as Siza Vieira, Souto Moura and Rem Koolhaas. The pleasant atmosphere, excellent cuisine, and range of cultural and leisure activities at competitive prices have earned it praise from such international publications as the New York Times and Lonely Planet. In 2017 Porto was for the third time elected Best European Destination.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

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ABOUT FEUP

A comprehensive education Studying at FEUP means joining a community of around 8,000 promising students at the biggest faculty of the University of Porto, one of the largest universities in Portugal, with more than 30,000 students.

FEUP is proud to be the first School of Engineering with all its 1st cycle programmes in Engineering accredited by ENAEE (European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education) through the EUR-ACE Quality Label. An unprecedented level achieved for its nine Integrated Master’s degree programmes (Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Bioengineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Management, Informatics Engineering and Computing, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering) and Master’s degree in Mining and Geo-Environmental Engineering. This recognition proves that the skills acquired by our students meet the needs of industry and that they can work as chartered professional engineers throughout Europe.

Following the Bologna principles, greater pedagogical emphasis is placed on “learning” than “teaching”, which allows the student to play a more active role. To enable this, FEUP provides its students with high quality facilities and equipment and services that can keep pace with recent trends and students’ requirements. These include cross-campus wireless Internet access as well as study rooms and computer labs open round the clock every day of the year.

Besides all its regular services and facilities, FEUP offers a great array of extra-curricular activities, including theatre, music and painting, as well as a rich variety of cultural events throughout the year, among them classical music concerts, film cycles, exhibitions, seminars, literature sessions, and conferences on many different topics. A wide range of sports activities is also available for all community members.

Photo: Egídio Santos

To prepare students for the ’real world’, they are encouraged to participate in interdisciplinary assignments, as well as to take part in research, innovation and entrepreneurship projects from the undergraduate level.

In addition, counselling initiatives are organized in order to provide advice regarding business ideas or the creation of innovative technologybased companies.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

FEUP has high quality standards and therefore seeks the best candidates from Portugal and abroad to accomplish its mission of producing competitive engineering graduates for the global labour market and key change agents for industry. The high quality of the education we offer is reflected in the success achieved by our alumni in many highly reputable organizations around the world.

Photo: Egídio Santos

Research and Innovation for the real world FEUP’s central position on the map of Research and Innovation (R&I) is certainly reinforced by its privileged location – the Asprela Innovation District – and the international networks of which it is part. The Innovation Centre at the Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto (UPTEC) is located nearby. This centre is a clear example of the cooperation between the academic and business worlds: several innovation teams from national and international companies are established here, involved in the development of new technologies geared towards the global market.

able Energy, Smart Cities, Product and Service Design, Railways, Advanced Manufacturing, as well as Oceanic Research, Health Innovation and Ambient Assisted Living.

The establishment of partnerships with external entities enables FEUP not only to enrich its research activities by sharing ideas and experiences, but also to seek appropriate solutions to current global challenges. The Horizon 2020 Office at FEUP seeks to open new doors to our presence in European knowledge networks and to raise the likelihood of being awarded with European funding for R&I. It is a very important source of support to researchers, strengthened by another structure: the Industry Liaison Office (ILO). The ILO promotes close cooperation between FEUP researchers and the national and international industry, thus fostering competitive collaboration and access to external funding.

Promotion of entrepreneurship is undertaken through advanced training in innovation and technological enterprise, publicizing of incentive programmes, organization of counselling initiatives and contacts made with available companies and investors. A significant number of entrepreneurial projects, instigated by teachers, researchers and students, have given rise to start-ups and spin-offs.

Countless projects demonstrate FEUP’s capacity to bring about innovation in conjunction with the interface institutes that form a platform of support for Faculty research.

Moreover, research is also bolstered by the Centres of Competence, specializing in such diverse areas as Sustain-

FEUP encourages application of the academic knowledge it generates to solving real-world problems. This is achieved by establishing strong links with business and industry, thereby opening the way to building long-lasting relationships of trust.

FEUP’s considerable technical-scientific potential has been applied in countless technology transfer projects.

The knowledge of university teachers and researchers has also contributed to the training and consultancy services provided to the business and public sectors, as well as to the establishment of standardized procedures that guarantee the quality and safety of products and services.

The Faculty also leads the field in the Business and Innovation Network initiative – BIN@TM. This network, created in 2010, includes several partners from industry and academia. This year, the network meetings will take place in Targoviste, Romania and Sheffield, United Kingdom.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

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ABOUT FEUP

The alumni community serve as an important connection between FEUP and the world beyond its campus boundaries: our alumni represent both a valuable source of expertise as well as a bridge to hundreds of organisations and companies, many of which are strategic potential partners in the field of education and research.

As alma mater, FEUP continues to invest in alumni development, offering a broad choice of lifelong learning opportunities, as well as a range of significant benefits, from access to our lavish library resources to involvement in numerous conferences, concerts and other cultural and entertainment activities.

The alumni network is not only of interest for catching up with old classmates but is also useful for conveying information related to job openings or collaboration opportunities, as well as building a strong network and sharing relevant experiences.

Since the end of 2013, when the alumni network project FEUPLink was launched, more than 80 alumni in 30 countries have volunteered to work as Alumni Ambassadors in 3 key areas of strategic importance for both alumni and the entire FEUP community: Universities, Careers and Events.

FEUP had 26 alumni ambassadors in 2016, in countries with a significant alumni community: Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Mozambique, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. FEUP is very glad to have an alumni commu-

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

Photo: R.R.

Alumni Commitment nity keen on staying in touch with their alma mater: from the beginning the commitment shown by our alumni has been very clear. They are willing to support FEUP in all our fields of activity and participate eagerly in alumni reunions and in social, networking or volunteering activities.

According to Nuno Lago de Carvalho, Alumni Ambassador in Singapore: “the decision to launch the FEUP Alumni Embassy in Singapore came from a personal desire to reconnect with this great Institution, together with the fact that it’s approaching 20 years since I joined FEUP. It´s also a personal recognition of the quality of knowledge acquired at FEUP and a way to show my pride in being a FEUP engineer. Singapore is a country well-known for its high standards of education and business development in different fields of engineering. Therefore, promoting the FEUP community in Singapore is a challenge but also a good opportunity for networking.”

The alumni community is growing day by day: more than 26,000 alumni have been identified on LinkedIn and 6,800 of them have joined the FEUPLink closed group, thus now being directly linked to FEUP. There are also proposals for the establishment of new alumni embassies in countries with a significant alumni community.

If you are a FEUP alumnus, we’d be glad if you could join the alumni community FEUPLink on LinkedIn and, who knows, become our Alumni Ambassador to help make our community even bigger - more information available on fe.up.pt/alumni.

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Social Responsibility FEUP engages in its core functions of teaching, research, innovation and community outreach in a responsible and principled manner that promotes certain key values.

It is our belief that only conscious choices lead to bright students following bright careers. The information programme carried out with high school students and educators does much more than simply fulfil recruitment ambitions. Its main purpose is to better inform people about the different fields of engineering and to make students aware of the environmental and social impacts of the engineering profession.

At FEUP, students have the opportunity to participate in volunteer projects at national or international level, such as EpDAH - Engineering for Development and Humanitarian Assistance. Another example is GASPORTO, a nongovernmental organisation dedicated to aid and human development in Portugal and the developing world.

Headquartered at the Faculty of Engineering, GASPORTO has been undertaking very important volunteer work not only in the city of Porto, but also in Timor and Mozambique - its main goal is to instill in students an understanding of cultures and to help make the world a better place to live in. FEUP also supports institutions located in the surrounding area: IPO Porto (the Portuguese Institute of Oncology - Porto), Hospital do Joãozinho (Pediatric Hospital) and Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro (Portuguese Cancer League).

In order to ensure equal access and success for minority groups, such as people with disabilities, FEUP also has at its disposal a specialized office offering support to students with special educational needs. In addition, the “Student Support Project” has been set up with the main

aim of helping students in financial difficulties who cannot afford to pay their tuition fees.

The existence of a Commissariat dedicated to Social Responsibility and a Commissariat of Sustainability reinforces FEUP’s commitment to this matter. Currently, corporate responsibility also extends to the promotion of sustainable development practices in the management of the campus.

The report on sustainability issued every year gives a good overview of the institution’s performance in various areas of sustainability. As a public institution that practices transparent and accountable management of its resources, FEUP produces an annual financial report revealing all Faculty expenditure and revenue in detail.

Positive effects of ecological and environmental policy are likely to arise not only from energy saving gained from intelligent management of buildings, but also from increased use of non-polluting means of transport, and the recycling of waste products.

FEUP’s concerns regarding sustainable development are, moreover, not merely confined to its premises. Engineering projects geared to the outside world have a markedly ecological aspect, and the role they play in urban renewal and the construction of future cities makes FEUP a force of benign intervention in society. This same society can freely benefit from the many debates, concerts, theatrical events and film showings organized at FEUP. Music and painting courses are also available with the aim of awakening the artistic talents of our students. After all, FEUP does not just train engineers, but also educates world citizens.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

Photo: Egídio Santos

ABOUT FEUP

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TO INNOVATE

6 million Euros for research projects in FEUP’s R&D Units

Text: Helena Peixoto Image: R.R.

The Portugal 2020 Community Framework has provided over 6 million Euros in funding for two Research and Development projects led by FEUP and another which sees the Faculty joined by a consortium of promoters. What is the main aim?

To promote and encourage the production of knowledge and solutions to the challenges of society.

Under the Joint Activities Program (PAC), within the Portugal 2020 Community Framework, approval has recently been given to two Research and Development projects (R&D) led by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) and a further project jointly involving a consortium of promoters. Together, they constitute over 6 million Euros of investment.

FEUP is running the SunStorage and SPLACH projects. The SunStorage project aims to study the direct and efficient conversion of solar radiation into readily storable chemical and electrochemical fuels. Receiving a total of 2 million Euros in funding, SunStorage is coordinated by Adélio Mendes, who is an integrated member of the Laboratory of Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE) - an R & D unit in FEUP’s Chemical Engineering Department. This project is partnered with the University of Coimbra (Centre of Chemistry) and the Association for Innovation and Development at FCT in Lisbon (Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry - Clean Technologies and Processes). Around 800 thousand Euros in funding has been approved for LEPABE. SPLACH is a project led by Paulo Pinho, scientific coordinator of the Research Centre for Territory, Transport and Environment (CITTA) within FEUP’s Department of Civil Engineering.

It aims to produce a comprehensive body (a compendium) of transformational policies for urban planning and management capable of promoting rapid and efficient transition to a socially inclusive and low carbon urban system.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

This project is partnered with ISCTE - Lisbon University Institute - and the University of Aveiro. From the total funding of 1.8 million Euros, the sum of 766 thousand Euros has been allocated to CITTA. FEUP is also participating in the UniRCell project consortium, which aims to develop a combined fuel cell/electrolyser system using a new generation of high performance, low cost and environmentally sustainable materials. Coordinated by the Aveiro Institute of Materials (CICECO), based at the University of Aveiro, the project will be developed at FEUP by the Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Processes - Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM), led by Fernando Pereira and the Transport Phenomena Research Centre (CEFT), led by Alexandra Pinto, both professors at FEUP. With over 2.2 million Euros in overall funding, the two R & D units in FEUP’s Department of Chemical Engineering will receive around 852 thousand Euros.

It is the objective of the Joint Activities Programs to support proposals for scientific research and/or technological development aimed at accelerating the production of knowledge and/or solutions to the challenges of society.

TO INNOVATE

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FEUP and FMUP conduct abdominoplasty clinical trials

Text: Raquel Pires Image: R.R.

How can the technique of medical thermography help recovery and reduce risk in patients who resort to abdominoplasty?

Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering (FEUP) and the Faculty of Medicine (FMUP) in collaboration with Hospital de S. João, have carried out a scientific study that may influence decision making on this matter.

20 patients undergoing abdominoplasty surgery through the National Health Service participated in a research project conducted by researchers from the Faculties of Engineering and Medicine of the University of Porto. The objective is to study and analyse the benefits of medical thermography in recovery and risk reduction in patients who resort to abdominoplasty.

for tissue/patch transfer, facilitating their connection and ensuring faster recovery”, he concludes.

This research was supervised by José Manuel Amarante, full professor and director of surgery at FMUP and co-supervised

by António Costa Ferreira, assistant professor at FMUP. It also involved Joaquim Gabriel from FEUP and Renato Natal, Pedro Martins and Francisco Pereira from INEGI.

What do we mean when we refer to abdominoplasty? It is the removal of excess fat and skin from the infra-umbilical region, with a view to improving body contour in patients who have seen, for example, a marked reduction in weight, or have skin flaccidity after pregnancy, or who simply want to improve their abdominal contour.

Rita Valença Filipe, plastic surgeon and leading researcher in this scientific study, maintains that abdominoplasty is probably one of the four most commonly performed procedures in plastic surgery, based on her sensibility and medical experience. Most common is liposuction, followed by breast augmentation and breast reduction, and then abdominoplasty.

In applying thermography, this multidisciplinary study provides a harmless imaging technique which enables patients to increase anatomical-physiological knowledge of the abdominal wall during abdominoplasty surgery.

“Plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures can thus be evaluated, giving more objective information to surgeons which may influence the way future surgical procedures are performed and help better determine the recovery period”, explains Ricardo Verdasca, researcher at FEUP. Another advantage of using thermography is in “identifying major blood vessels in cases where there is a need

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

Medical thermography is a medical imaging technique that enables measurement of temperature distribution to the surface of the skin or tissues of the human body, allowing surgeons to evaluate plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures and thus providing them with more objective information?

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

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TO INNOVATE

FEUP and FCNAUP create prototype portable salt dispenser

A team of researchers from the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto have developed a portable device that can determine the salt content in meals. The innovation is already patented and will enable salt content to be monitored, thus contributing to a strategy of reducing salt consumption nationally.

Text: Raquel Pires | Photo: R.R.

Following publication in October 2015 of a scientific article from the University of Porto entitled “Salt Intake by Children and Adolescents - Contribution to Salt Reduction Strategy”, which revealed that 85% of Portuguese adolescents consume too much salt, a multidisciplinary group of researchers from the Faculty (FEUP) teamed up with the Faculty of Nutrition Sciences (FCNAUP) to develop a portable salt dispenser capable of promptly measuring the salt content of a given meal.

The current means of analysing the salt content of a meal involves collecting and sending it to the laboratory, which is a very time consuming process. This new piece of equipment will make it possible, while in the kitchen, to ascertain within about 6 minutes the level of salt content in meals, enabling any correction to be made and thus providing meals with a level of salt compatible with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The idea of developing this device came from the nutritionist Carla Gonçalves as part of her doctorate research

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

focused on salt consumption and strategies to reduce this consumption. The project was financed by the General Health Department and after a year’s work a prototype of the device is now ready to be marketed.

The team of nutritionists and chemical engineers from the Laboratory of Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE) and mechanical engineers from the Automated Systems and Processes Integration Unit (UISPA) of FEUP, developed the prototype device. Easy to use, compact (weighing about 250 grams) and attractively designed, this first version integrates a screen similar to one on a smartphone. It can be used in any Portuguese kitchen (including school canteens, nurseries, hospitals, nursing homes or restaurants) and considers the population’s main nutritional groups.

In the future, the aim is for the device to automatically analyse food and advise whoever is in the kitchen what percentage of salt is present in a meal.

TO INNOVATE

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Smart luggage system from the hands of FEUP students

Text: Helena Peixoto Photo: R.R.

Check-in queues and the endless time spent packing suitcases are a thing of the past. With Travel Cache, created by a group of students from the University of Porto, travellers now only need worry about enjoying their destination!

Everyone knows that check-in queues are endless, that clothes look like they have not been ironed and that eternities are wasted when packing! All this not to mention the hassle that is lost luggage! All these issues will be over with Travel Cache, a service that allows travellers to arrive at their destinations without having to worry about luggage.

Created by Florian Rehm, Richard Ancuta and Pedro Silva, colleagues in the Master’s in Innovation and Technological Entrepreneurship (MIETE) taught at the Faculties of Engineering (FEUP) and Economics (FEP) of the University of Porto, Travel Cache stores and deals with all the necessary everyday items so that travellers can find their luggage at their destination. Although the service is especially aimed at people who travel at least once or twice a month, it can be used by any other traveller who wants to try it out.

What we are talking about is an intelligent baggage management system that offers two types of service: physical storage or on-site delivery. The former allows, in addition to storage, access and choice of content for travel, through a website or app, costing 9.99 Euros per month. Anyone who wants delivery at the final location

pays a variable price, which is about the same as the additional cost of hold baggage in a low-cost airline.

According to its creators, in Europe there is - so far - no service with these characteristics. Despite the initial difficulties in designing an effective and affordable logistical model, Travel Cache is ready to “offer storage, delivery anywhere in Europe and even laundry service”. All this at the distance of a click.

The launch of Travel Cache is scheduled for July and, although its operational base is in Portugal, the project wants to expand into the European market. “We have some complementary service ideas that aim to anticipate and meet the needs of the 63 million professional travellers in Europe”, explain the designers.

Although only created recently, Travel Cache has already garnered a distinction. It was awarded second prize in the university competition iUP25K. This recognition will enable the service to be launched more quickly and sustainably. travel-cache.com

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

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TO UNDERTAKE

FEUP: the innovation player in the Portuguese railway cluster Back in 1992, before there was any talk of high speed in Portugal, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) could already see the potential in the first Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) project on dynamic behaviour of railway bridges, led by Raimundo Delgado, Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. The truth is that the train of knowledge in the sector has not slowed down: projects are beginning to emerge in collaboration with Portuguese companies, which has allowed knowledge to be gathered and, above all, has won the respect of some of the key players in the railway industry.

In Portugal, the first investments in the railway sector took place in 1995 and were considered “strategic”. It was later argued in Jose Socrates’ government that moving forward with the high-speed project was based on the fact that Portugal was a geographically peripheral country which could not be placed on the margins of a large-scale European railway undertaking. “The truth is that the dynamic set in motion at that time has never stopped since then”, explains Adriano Carvalho, professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at FEUP. Together with Rui Calçada, professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Luís Andrade Ferreira, professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department, these are the researchers who have been

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

Text: Raquel Pires Photos: R.R.

the driving force behind the Centre of Railway Knowledge (CSF), one of FEUP’s Competence Centres.

One of the projects most influential in the Centre becoming recognised as a key player in the railway sector was a collaboration with Mota-Engil in 2009. The challenge was to develop innovative prefabricated solutions for bridges, lower crossings, noise protection barriers and slab track for high speed lines, in order to obtain significant gains in both execution times and final construction costs. The end result surpassed expectations and boosted a product that has been replicated globally in major rail construction works such as the LGV - Bretagne/ Pays de la Loire high-speed rail line in France.

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The CSF has always been strongly committed to conducting research at the highest level and continues to command attention from the European Commission.

In 2002, Professor Adriano Carvalho supervised Augusto Costa Franco during his Master’s thesis at FEUP. Entitled “Intelligent Fault Diagnostic System for Rail Maintenance”, the thesis allowed him to develop and test a prototype in a railway vehicle under real operating conditions which offered good results in terms of reliability, availability and safety.

The eventual aim was to expand to another branch of the passenger and goods transport sector (road, inland waterway and aeronautics), while enabling these companies to increase investment in the field of R & D, largely offsetting the life cycle cost of their respective vehicle fleets. The idea underpinning this research was at the core of Nomad Tech (see page 17) and catapulted FEUP to the forefront in scientific research in this area. The project drew the attention of Portuguese Railways (CP), who soon wanted to install this solution on the Cascais line and ensure longer life for their Alfa trains (the average cost of an Alfa being around 15 million Euros).

In Portugal, replacement of trains and specifically the system pertaining to carriage maintenance offers a great business opportunity. In 2013, again with Adriano Carvalho at the helm and in collaboration with the Nomad Tech team, studies and tests were begun to develop a new traction module in Alfa trains. The main objective was to equip the Sintra line fleet with IGBT traction technology (and to replace the old GTO) for about a third of the cost of the conventional modernization process. Over the course of one year, exhaustive tests were carried out, enabling the team to present very encouraging results to Portuguese Railways (CP); namely, a 12.5% saving in energy from drive unit to IGBTs compared to drive unit to GTO under identical operating conditions. “The Portuguese railway fleet has approximately 28 thousand modules, each costing about 200 thousand Euros, so anything that can help minimize this impact is obviously of interest to those running the business”, the FEUP researcher explains.

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IRAIL DOCTORAL PROGRAM: A PIONEERING PARTNERSHIP IN PORTUGAL The Doctoral Program in Innovative Rail Systems and Technologies (iRail) is a cutting-edge new doctoral program in Portugal. It aims to address current concerns regarding the demand for high capacity, resilient and sustainable rail transport systems that are cost-effective and performance-efficient. In operation since 2015, the doctoral program is a partnership between the University of Porto, the University of Minho and the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

They were also able to install a real-time remote diagnostics equipment/system as part of their modernization project, which meant that the traction system could conditionally be brought under a maintenance regime.

Nomad Tech’s Managing Director for Rolling Stock & Maintenance Engineering, Nuno Freitas, at the time praised “the role of CP and FEUP in the project’s success”, which he considered “preponderant”.

In 2012, a R & D project was set up by Evoleo Technologies and FEUP, in partnership with IP, which began with the development of a system of dynamic weighing and detection of irregularities in railway vehicle wheelsets. The main function of the system was to enable comparisons to be made with contracted services and with regulatory limits, as well as to allow railway operators to be charged according to the geometric quality of wheelsets and loads transported. A system demonstration project has been set up, and is expected to be installed in the future in several strategic points of the national rail network.

MAXBE: THE BEGINNING OF THE EUROPEAN ADVENTURE As research and know-how in the railway sector has progressed, FEUP’s Railway Knowledge Centre (CEF) acknowledges that what is state of the art in Europe is not so different from the current situation in Portugal, at least as far as economic and safety implications for railways are concerned. In Europe, there is some lack of standardization that justifies the work undertaken to integrate technology into condition monitoring and early diagnosis of shaft bearings. In addition, current European documentation does not provide any guidelines for the management of rolling stock maintenance with respect to axle bearings, which makes the combination of monitoring, diagnosis and mainte-

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FEUP JOINS PORTUGUESE RAILWAY PLATFORM A project to boost the industry through the creation of a platform focused on the Portuguese railway was formally set up in July 2015. Its main objective was to bring together the main actors in the national railway system and create a cluster that could gain a foothold and thus be able to assert itself internationally.

nance an interesting approach. Into this context comes the MA XBE project, incorporated in FP7 funding programs: a European consortium of 17 partners (industry, universities, end-users and SMEs) from eight Member States, representing operators, wheel bearing manufacturers, key actors in the railway community and experts in the field of monitoring and rolling stock.

The project, coordinated by FEUP, began in 2012 with a total of 5 million Euros for research. For the Faculty of Engineering to be part of this European consortium it was like entering the Champions League: it opened doors, expanding the network of contacts in this area, and definitively consolidated FEUP’s role as a key player in the railway innovation sector, recognised by the major international partners.

In 2015, FEUP and Evoleo joined a new European consortium, IN2Rail, made up of 54 partners, including global players such as Ansaldo, Bombardier and Siemens. The project aims, among other challenges, to develop advanced rail traffic management systems that allow real-time prediction of critical operation situations based on data monitoring of the condition of railway and environmental infrastructure.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

In an initial phase eight players combined to form the Portuguese Railway Platform: IP, CP, Mota-Engil, Evoleo, Nomad Tech, Alma Design, The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) and the Higher Technical Institute of the University of Lisbon (IST). At present, the platform now has 40 associates.

The fact that FEUP has been part of this national consortium of the railway sector since its inception demonstrates that this is an area in which the Faculty of Engineering has undertaken a considerable amount of work. The Railway Knowledge Centre (CSF) has always been strongly committed to conducting research at the highest level and continues to command attention from the European Commission. In 2015 alone, funding for a consortium of European countries with railway expertise, known as Shift2Rail, amounting to 900 million Euros, was approved under H2020.

It is essentially concerned with developing innovation projects linked to the railway industry. FEUP’s participation, as an associate member of this consortium, will focus on creating new track systems, new monitoring systems and, in terms of improving the behaviour of railway infrastructures, development of innovative solutions for bridges and tunnels. Issues regarding energy efficiency will also be studied by researchers and doctoral students, involving a total of 15 people from the Faculty of Engineering. shift2rail.org ferrovia.pt

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“We are serving and attacking significant global markets” Interview: Raquel Pires Photos: R.R.

It was one of two Portuguese projects selected by the European Commission under its H2020 funding program, worth 30.5 million Euros. The company in question is called Nomad Tech, a joint venture led by Augusto Costa Franco and Nuno Freitas which has been conquering international markets with solutions for the railway industry. From Melbourne Metro to the Japanese giant Toshiba they have all surrendered to Portuguese know-how. We went to find out about the success formula of this group of Portuguese engineers based at UPTEC, some of whom are FEUP alumni.

Created in 2013, Nomad Tech has been associated with a number of innovative railway projects. What is the recipe for success?

Success has mainly been due to the team, most of whom came from EMEF (Railway Equipment Maintenance Company) with the accumulated know-how of more than 20 years of railway experience. The fact that EMEF is our shareholder is also a major contributing factor: being linked with a maintenance operator/manager lends credibility to Nomad Tech and guarantees access to rolling stock and service continuity as well as to the national market. It is extremely difficult to design internationalization without having reference projects on home soil. CP and EMEF have also been fundamental in this regard.

Partnerships with universities, both inside and outside Portugal, have been key to the sustained growth of Nomad Tech, in particular that of FEUP (namely, professors Adriano de Carvalho, Rui Calçada and Luís Andrade Ferreira). Finally, the commercial network of Nomad Digital proved decisive in the internationalization of the company.

What is your main objective in the national market?

And internationally?

The main objective is to expand our presence in global markets without ever neglecting the national market, which launched us. As I mentioned, the fact that we are “umbilically” linked to EMEF/CP means that we have joined forces to set up reference projects serving the interests of EMEF and CP themselves, in particular, “Lusogate - modernization of traction converters”, “Remote Condition Monitoring and Reliability Centred Maintenance” and “Ecodriving”. We have also supported the creation of “showcase” reference projects for the international market.

What impact has Nomad Tech felt from having been one of the two innovative projects selected by Brussels recently under H2020?

It was undoubtedly very important, not only for the international prestige and presence that it offered, not to mention the funding itself, but also for maintaining Nomad Tech’s involvement in the European innovation network, which leverages industrial and commercial networking. It was a decision that rewarded the team itself, who deservedly saw their perseverance recognized.

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We are serving and “attacking” markets worth hundreds of millions of Euros, so we need all our motivation and perseverance to maintain the continued growth of the company.

I would also like to announce that we are involved in another H2020 project (PMEinCPPS - linked to the field of data analytics) and two P2020 projects (one, which has already been approved, involving ID-traction associated with the modernization of railway traction systems, and the other, still under evaluation, related to energy efficiency in the rail sector).

Finally, while still on this point, Nomad Tech has successfully applied for SIFIDE funding, proving that continued effort in innovation and development is a critical factor for our sustainability.

What has enabled you to lead this market segment?

I would say that we are a small player when compared to the big OEMs, but supported by a significant maintenance operator/manager (EMEF) and bolstered in the international market by Nomad Digital. We have been able to be flexible and agile in attacking the market, as well as competitive and differentiating. This is a result of our combining knowledge of railway maintenance engineering with expertise in information technologies/software and electronic engineering, which we believe has ultimately given us a unique edge in this market.

What kind of innovative solutions are we talking about?

The technological solutions based on railway expertise are fundamentally divided into three areas of activity: NT MAINTAIN, which supplies experience and consulting services in maintenance engineering (RCM - Reliability Centered Maintenance), where EMEF was a pioneer with its High Speed Maintenance Unit and onboard/onshore technology for remote maintenance (ROCM - remote online condition monitoring); NT ECO, which offers fleet monitoring and eco-driving solutions involved with energy efficiency; and NT POWER, which provides solutions associated with electronic control and power train repair capabilities as well as modernization solutions.

We are serving and “attacking” markets worth hundreds of millions of Euros, so we need all our motivation and perseverance to maintain the continued growth of the company.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Augusto Costa Franco is a software and energy systems engineer with over 20 years’ experience in railway systems, specifically in rolling stock. He joined Portugal railways in 1996 as a production engineer at EMEF – (Railway Equipment Maintenance Company, Ltd) responsible for diesel railway vehicle maintenance and carriage renovation.

From 2000 to 2007, he was in charge of EMEF’s Northern Engineering Department, which involved revision of rolling stock and management of rolling stock remodelling projects.

From 2007 to 2013, he managed the Engineering and Innovation Business Unit of this company and, together with Nuno Freitas, responsible for EMEF’s high-speed business unit, he started and developed an Engineering and Innovation Business Unit in the railway sector, aimed at creating cost reduction solutions for the life cycle of rolling stock, and, in particular, optimizing maintenance and operations management and energy use.

He specializes in developing condition-based maintenance applications as well as remote and online monitoring of railway application development, and holds a patent for tele-maintenance.

He maintains strong links with the academy, participating not only in several financing and non-financing projects, but also in monitoring Master’s and PhD theses related to the transport market.

With a Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), he has followed the AESE/IESE Management Program and is currently finishing his PhD, also at FEUP, in the same area of study.

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How did you get the opportunity to implement a pilot system for continuous train monitoring in Melbourne?

It arose in 2013, through the delegation of Nomad Australia, to whom we took the opportunity of sending a word of special appreciation, because without doubt they – together with the Nomad Tech team – have made a remarkable effort in the success achieved to date.

In fact, Melbourne Metro is investing in ROCM (remote online condition monitoring) technology and integrating it with modern railway engineering practices. For this project the Nomad Tech team, in close cooperation with the Nomad Australia team, set up a challenging project where one of the key requirements was the logical/physical interface that deals with various train systems, which was met with extremely positive feedback from the customer - Melbourne Metro.

What other international projects has Nomad Tech been involved with and what are the highlights?

I can highlight some. Firstly, a project with one of the largest logistics operators in the world - DB CARGO. After a period of intense work lasting four years, we are already in the process of extending our technology to a wide range of DB CARGO locomotives. We were also involved in an important project with Hitachi in the field of maintenance engineering and ROCM, and with the Norwegian operator NSB and Mantena in the field of maintenance engineering and RCM - consulting and training services. We led a project with the Finnish operator VR in the field of maintenance engineering and RCM - consulting and training services, and participated in a project with the Swiss operator SBB in the field of maintenance engineering and RCM - engineering assessment. In the area of energy electronics, we have been developing work with Spanish and Indian railway operators. We are also coordinating a project involving energy efficiency with the Japanese company Toshiba.

In your opinion, will the 2016-2020 Railway Investment Plan with EU funding of 1 billion Euros translate into a positive impact for our country? How? Yes, without doubt. It is already and will continue to be an integral support for Portugal. Infrastructure modernization projects, such as, for example, expansion of electrification, as well as possible investment in the modernization of roll-

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ing stock and perhaps even in its acquisition/rental, could all be projects supported by this investment plan.

Do you think the TGV project in Portugal has been lost forever? Or we will discuss this issue again?

It is not currently being considered and would have to be rethought. I think it diverged too much in the options studied, but we think that for the continuation of the economic and social development of the country, it is an infrastructure project that is very likely to be implemented in the short to medium term.

NOMAD TECH: FROM PORTO TO THE REST OF THE WORLD Nomad Tech is dedicated to promoting innovative solutions in the global market for rail engineering, remote tele-management/ monitoring, energy efficiency and energy electronics for the railway industry. Created in 2013 as a Joint Venture between Nomad Digital (global leader in providing high availability wireless solutions for the transport sector) and EMEF (the company responsible for the maintenance of the CP group’s rolling stock), Nomad Tech operates specifically in the development and commercialization of the aforementioned services and products, aiming to reduce the life cycle cost of rolling stock and optimise RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety) parameters in the railway sector. Nomad Tech products and solutions are also targeted at various industries such as energy, transport and infrastructure, among others. www.nomadtech.pt

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TO ACT

Text: Helena Peixoto Photos: R.R.

A unique volunteering experience in the Amazon jungle She spent nine months as a volunteer in a Dominican mission in Sepahua, a native community in the Peruvian Amazon jungle. Nine months that equalled a lifetime of different experiences and a new vision of the world we live in.

Gabriela Ricca is a 3rd year student following the Integrated Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) who decided to go volunteering in Peru, assisting with a Dominican mission.

She joined three Missionary Sisters and a Dominican priest and, in March of 2015, they left for Ucayali (a lowland jungle region of Peru). Sepahua lies between two rivers: the Urubamba River (the great river that runs through the country until it empties into the Amazon), and the Sepahua River (a tributary of the former). Joint missions such as this have been operating in this region for many decades and provide the only continuous support for indigenous communities, with state aid being only a recent development in short supply and NGOs generally not working with indigenous communities in the long term.

The initial aim was to provide support for the education and upbringing of the girls living at the Sepahua Boarding School.

The Internship, exclusively for girls (there is another one for boys), was created and is maintained by the Mission. Sepahua is one of the few places in the region that has a secondary school, hence the location of the boarding school. No child can continue to study after primary school without going to Sepahua. Gabriela, together with Sister Meche, eventually took charge of the Women’s Internship, which meant

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

establishing and maintaining a daily routine for the 25 interns from four different ethnicities. These girls left home aged 12, so except for Christmas and summer holidays, they are alone in a new, unfamiliar world with no parents or ethnic family.

“It was not easy, but the joy and strength of will with which these girls lived each day makes anything possible and truly good. They were the main focus of my attention during the year, as well as the greatest source of joy”, says Gabriella.

As it was a lengthy experience, she ended up joining other projects and having other responsibilities. Shortly after arriving, she began teaching classes in the elementary school of a native community to 4th, 5th and 6th grade students.

It was a different experience: the lessons, the conditions, the kids ... it wasn’t five minutes before some kid climbed the wall to peer outside, just so they would not feel so trapped. Work had to be personalised, so explaining a food pyramid without milk, bread or soup meant redesigning it with cassava, fish, bananas and boiled water. It also entailed teaching them to come to classes every day and how to behave while at school – not to blow pens to play with the ink and not to tear the pages from the notebooks. It was an experience that taught Gabriela to set priorities. After a while, she went to the homes of some of these students and got to know their parents and siblings, their habits, customs, fears and desires. However, she has always been conscious of one fact: “No matter what steps we take, no matter how we adapt and enter the life of another society, we will never truly become part of it. It’s good that they let us in, but we should always know there’s a limit”.

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In addition to the support she gave to the boarding school and its classes, Gabriela actively helped at Radio Sepahua 100.5 FM, a station based in Sepahua that the Mission set up in 2000 and which serves to inform and train the approximately 12,000 natives from nearby communities. Via the radio they learn about the importance of boiling water before cooking and taking a daily bath with soap; they know when they can travel to Sepahua to get a vaccine; they listen intently to every football report about the Sepahua League; they can listen to mass on Sundays and can always tune in to educational, musical or entertainment programs as well as communicate with each other. Working for the radio also involved covering native demonstrations against multinational oil companies and, at the same time, the meetings between those same companies and local government; it meant announcing a death, and spending a few hours reporting on two lives. Expansion of this radio service is hampered by the fact that electricity is only supplied during certain fixed hours per day (9am - 12pm and 6pm - 11pm), so to make it operate 24 hours a day with greater coverage would require a very large investment.

During this year, Gabriela spent her time at Sepahua “doing a bit of everything”, in part due to the training she received beforehand and while at university, during her course in Mechanical Engineering. This included solving all sorts of problems that might arise: fixing antiquated systems for water and plumbing, electrical and lighting; mending equipment and doing assorted jobs to fix up the houses (everything is made of wood); giving some technical support to the radio ... even rebuilding a roof of banana leaves!

As gratifying and incredible as it is to get to know and belong to a society so completely different from ours, Gabriela felt she lacked simple things like being able to charge a cellphone whenever she wanted; having light at night, a sofa or hot water; eating vegetables and drinking milk or a simple espresso; listening to Portuguese or a song that was not Peruvian folk music; sleeping until after 7 a.m. in the morning; going out at night; taking a vacation ... even having lessons!

Of all the things that she valued most from this experience was the indigenous culture: no people have resisted as many attacks and threats of extinction (of race or culture) as the natives of the Amazon jungle. Almost all the indigenous people in Sepahua want to continue studying to be

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teachers, nurses or tractor drivers; but they do not want to go to Lima and end up being overly different, confused and dirty. Everyone, without exception, after the course, will return to the jungle to build their lives. Natives adapt to reality, but always keeps their culture intact. They take advantage of what civilization brings them to improve their community, their family, and the lives of their children, but they will never forget what is really important. On the other hand, the natives greatly value the work of the Mission, and more broadly speaking, the lives of service given by hundreds of missionaries who, since they know the jungle there, will continue to give support to communities which the wider world often chooses to ignore, belittle or harass.

Although she plans to enjoy life at present, Gabriela wants to know other cultural realities, such as India, Australian Aborigines, the Middle East or even refugees! It is impossible to predict, but she is sure that her future - in the long run - will be based in a society not marked by Westernization, where she can undertake meaningful work, probably as an engineer, closer to the essence of what it is to be a human being, and further away from what our civilization has ended up becoming.

Has it been a life-changing experience for her? Gabriela thinks that we do not really change: “I have not changed who I am, but I have radically changed the way I see the world, people, and how I view life. Getting to know a society that is so native and so pure opens your eyes to another way of life. It teaches us to redefine our priorities in life, and the value of our own.

In our world, in this Western “bubble” that we live in, we are very far away from the reality of original human existence”.

Gabriela believes that in the West we unconsciously take everything for granted: electricity, employment, public transport, and while taking it for granted, we also take it as ‘correct’. This journey made her realize that there is not only one right way to live and be happy; All peoples have their own way! The natives are culturally a happy people: they live in, of, and for the present, for the moment. All who belong to this community are welcomed and protected by it. No one survives alone in the jungle, no one survives alone in life - life exists to be shared with others. The “I” is not important, what is important is the “we”. And this is the great lesson that comes with it: human beings and individual success do not exist in isolation; a family and community growing together are what define a happy shared life.

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Brazil: our prime exporter of talent At the beginning of this academic year FEUP welcomed 45 new Brazilian undergraduate students taking integrated Master’s degrees and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering. This came as a result of a catchment strategy put into practice in early 2016, which had a knockon effect on the independent Master’s degree, seeing the overall number of Brazilian students increase significantly, and it promises to bring many more talented individuals to FEUP next year.

Liliana Carvalho*

The recruitment of international students is today high on the agenda of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Portugal was late to awaken to this reality (not least since its education system has, by tradition, essentially been in Portuguese), but the need to bridge the shortfall in student numbers at national level, a reflection of low birth rates and the economic and financial crisis, has come to revolutionize the way Portuguese HEIs have positioned themselves abroad. Is this good news? Yes, of course, but we must remember that we are “new recruits” to the international battlefields and that while we were asleep other countries were gaining ground and building relationships of trust with the key players in the sector. In order to assert ourselves, our strategy must be well-defined, differentiated and focused on key markets and basic concepts of marketing and communication, which are sometimes forgotten in the face of the temptation to “shoot in all directions” and adopt less expensive policies, such as “one size fits all”.

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For FEUP, known for being one of the best engineering schools in Europe, and right at the top internationally in several specific areas of Engineering, this investment in international funding is not intended to raise student numbers, but to attract the best talent, thus also enriching the (multi)cultural classroom experience.

In 2015, FEUP singled out Brazil as a prime market for attracting such talent and developed a strategy that has been applied throughout 2016 and which includes a scheme of financial incentives for the best Brazilian students entering higher education for the first time. This is in addition to the 50% reduction in tuition fees which is an existing advantage for all students at the University of Porto coming from the Community of the Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP)..

You may wonder: why Brazil? The answer is simple. The recent acceptance of results from the Brazilian National High School

Photo: R.R.

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FEUP ALUMNI COMMUNITY MEETS IN BRAZIL According to LinkedIn, Brazil is, after Portugal, the country where most FEUP alumni reside (close to 900), working at least to some extent in all areas, particularly in Civil Engineering. Taking advantage of FEUP’s presence in São Paulo, an alumni dinner was organized in March 2016, which resulted in a pleasant get-together between the members of this community. In addition to fond memories of their time at FEUP, the group shared personal and professional contacts as well as their experiences about what is now their second home. The initiative was repeated on November 4 and 8, led by Alumni

Examination (ENEM) in applications for undergraduate courses from candidates granted international student status, has created the possibility of enrolment in FEUP’s integrated Master’s degrees and one of its Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering.

Given that Portuguese language proficiency is a compulsory entrance requirement, Brazil is undoubtedly our most significant market, and an agreement was signed on March 9 of this year between the University of Porto and the Anísio Teixeira National Institute of Studies and Research (INEP), in Brazil, which has allowed the University of Porto direct access to the results and performance data of Brazilian students in the National Secondary Education Examination (ENEM).

In 2015/2016 Brazilians at FEUP constituted approximately 40% of all foreign degree-level students, the majority in PhD Programs, without posing any significant funding demands.

When we consider the situation in Brazil, we see a country where demand is frankly higher than supply, with an increasing number of private higher education institutions, which have skyrocketed in the last decade. According to the 2015 INEP Higher Education Census, enrolments in higher education (undergraduate and graduate) in that same year exceeded 8 million students, with 75.7% of the total number of undergraduate enrolments (6,075,152 students) coming from private higher education institutions, and the remaining 24.3% (1,952,145 students) coming from the public education network. The potential is therefore huge, underscored by the very high monthly fees in Brazilian private institutions.

And if, on the one hand, the current political-economic crisis in Brazil, marked by a fluctuating exchange rate, may be a deterrent to studying abroad, on the other hand, it may itself be a further stimulus for many families who wish to provide a better future for their children, quality education in a safe environment and a direct access door to Europe.

“Feel at home in Europe” was, indeed, the slogan of the campaign developed for Brazil in early 2016, based essentially on statements from Brazilian undergraduates about their experience at FEUP, Porto and Portugal. The campaign also saw the launch of fully customized communication materials, including a website (www.fe.up.pt/brasil) with a simplified pre-application module offering the possibility of payment through paypal. This endeavour relied on the collaboration

Ambassadors João Campos Ferreira, André Silva and Marcela Fukumori, in São Paulo, and this time also extending to Rio de Janeiro, organized by Alumni Ambassador Ana Ribeiro.

The role of Alumni Ambassadors is not limited to the organization of social gatherings. Among initiatives planned for 2017 are a strategic approach to CONFEA/CREA, support to alumni in the process of seeking recognition for their diplomas and the development of mentoring pairs within companies.

of FEUP’s Image Services, Communication and Cooperation Services, Academic Services, Prof. Correia Araújo Computer Centre and, finally, its Economic and Financial Services.

Personal contact with potential candidates and their educators took place during the Salão de Estudante in São Paulo, the student fair that every year brings hundreds of institutions of higher education from all over the world to Brazil, to inform, clarify and advise the thousands of students visiting with their families. This presence on the ground has confirmed some of the difficulties already identified, among them the lack of an entrance system for students with dual European citizenship. In fact, Portuguese law prevents these citizens from applying through the special international student selection process, but does not offer viable alternatives, so it is practically impossible for anyone under these conditions to enter a degree course. Another very common issue is admission to the second cycle of integrated Master’s degrees for those who attend or have already completed higher education in Brazil and intend to continue their studies at FEUP. For these students, the only possibility is to apply for the full undergraduate course, and subsequently request equivalency for the subjects taken in Brazil. There are a series of obstacles, almost all of which are based on legislative and bureaucratic issues. For example, the requirement of a prior period for complaints of 2 weeks after the announcement of placement results causes a long delay in visa applications and, consequently, the arrival of the Brazilian students at FEUP. To get around this problem, next year the first phase of applications will be brought forward to December 18.

Despite all the constraints faced in this first attempt to approach Brazil, the campaign resulted in 65 applications and 45 new enrolments for 2016/2017, counting undergraduate courses only. There was also a substantial increase in the number of applications by Brazilians for the independent Master’s degree, indeed matching the interest shown in postgraduate courses. For 2017/2018 a new wave of more and better talent is expected to head to FEUP. fe.up.pt/brasil * Coordinator of the Marketing and External Relations Department at FEUP

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TO WIN

Adélio Mendes awarded 2016 University of Coimbra Prize

Text: Raquel Pires Photo: Álvaro Martino

Adélio Mendes has been awarded the 2016 University of Coimbra Prize for his endeavours in the fields of science and education and his contribution to society. He has authored multiple patents, including one that was sold for the highest ever value in Portugal, and has been a key player in the development of innovative technologies for the production of electric energy, galvanising national and international projects in this area.

“A remarkable career”. This is how João Gabriel Silva, rector of the University of Coimbra, addressed Adélio Mendes, professor and researcher at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), when it came to announcing the winner of the 2016 University of Coimbra Prize.

The official statement praised his “academic activity, recognized by all, and his scientific enterprise, with hundreds of articles in the most esteemed international publications” as well as “his exceptional links with the economic fabric”.

Adélio Mendes is the author of several patents, notably one which “sold for the highest ever price in Portugal”, and his research has steadily been boosted by a series of awards: in 2012 he was presented with an Advanced Research Grant worth 2 million Euros by the European Research Council (ERC).

The FEUP professor has been one of the main driving forces behind two photovoltaic technologies that enable the direct conversion of sunlight into renewable and sustainable electricity, and which may well come to revolutionize the electricity market. This was the main reason that led Porto Municipal Council (CMP) to award Adélio Mendes the Gold Medal of Municipal Merit at a ceremony held in the Crystal Palace gardens in July 2015.

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

Some years earlier, in 2011, the American multinational company Air Products awarded him its “2011 Faculty Excellence Award”, and in the same year he won the Solvay & Hovione Innovation Challenge SHIC’11, the Ramos Catarino prize for Innovation and the Porto Commercial Association’s Diogo Vasconcelos Applied Research Award for developments in laser-assisted sealing of solar cells.

From a scientific standpoint, Adélio Mendes has more than 250 articles published in international journals and 21 patent families. During recent years, he has helped boost several national and international projects whose combined funding has amounted globally to over 10 million Euros.

The 2016 University of Coimbra prize, worth 25 thousand Euros, was presented on March 1st in the commemorative session marking the University’s 726th anniversary.

Every year the University of Coimbra honours a figure of Portuguese nationality recognised for having made a particularly significant and innovative contribution in the areas of culture or science.

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FEUP researchers create groundbreaking GPS Created by three researchers from FEUP, Audio - GPS sends out imperceptible audio signals and enables a smartphone or tablet to determine global location within indoor spaces which the GPS satellite signal cannot reach. Although only recently devised, this technology has already won a university award and another sponsored by the Ministry of Science Technology and Higher Education.

Text: Helena Peixoto Photo: R.R.

It is not always easy to find a specific office in a hospital or a particular store in a shopping centre as there are sometimes so many signs and signals all giving information that they end up confusing the user even more.

It was precisely to tackle this problem that Audio - GPS was born, brainchild of researcher João Moutinho and fellow researchers and professors Diamantino Freitas and Rui Araújo, all from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP).

Audio - GPS is a global location technology for interior spaces based on the acquisition by smartphones or tablets of imperceptible audio signals emitted by a sound system, which is already in place or can easily be set up in the building. Being able to determine their global location within indoor spaces, users have access to a wide range of services that depend on location. This technology also has accessibility benefits, as it can help to facilitate the emergence of assistive technologies.

A differentiating factor is that it brings the advantages of traditional GPS satellite systems to the interior of buildings, effectively and economically while preserving the user’s privacy.

VENIAM: ONE OF THE 50 MOST DISRUPTIVE COMPANIES IN THE WORLD This is another success story of a project developed at FEUP. The startup Veniam, led by FEUP professor João Barros, has been ranked 28th in the CNBC Disruptor 50, a prestigious international ranking of the 50 most “disruptive” companies, sitting alongside names like Uber, Airbnb, Coursera and SurveyMonkey. In all, 500 companies were analysed worldwide. Veniam is dedicated to implementing Wi-Fi technology and has a project which involves applying this technology in public transport, the so-called “internet on the move”.

Besides having already won first prize in the 2016 edition of University of Porto - iUP25k Business Ideas contest, Audio - GPS recently won the 2016 edition of IDEAS - Born from Knowledge, the national contest for innovative ideas promoted by the Ministry of Science Technology and Higher Education (MCTES).

Speaking of this victory, João Moutinho, one of the project’s mentors, says that it is significant since “on a national scale, it recognizes Audio - GPS as the best business idea of 2016, at a time when the technology is preparing to enter the market”. The team is currently developing the product for a first customer and expects to have the application available for the general public in a few months.

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Participation in the final of Kiruna as seen from the inside Designed for university students around the world, the BEXUS program, promoted

by ESA in partnership with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB), challenges participants to develop scientific and technological experiments which are launched into the stratosphere using large helium-filled balloons.

For the first time, a group of Portuguese students made it to the final of the competition, which took place last October in Sweden. They will now tell us what this unique experience was like.

Bruno Correia, Américo Duarte, David Leite e Nuno Moreira *

The SIGNON (SIGNALS of Opportunity for Navigation) experiment was born out an existing project at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), called STRAPLEX (STRAtospheric PLtaform Experiment) that we were involved with, and which had launched scientific experiments into the stratosphere with helium balloons since 2005. Having participated in this project since 2013, we were all aware of the REXUS/BEXUS program (Rocket-Balloon EXperiment for University Students) which ESA (European Space Agency) had been promoting for 10 years.

From its base at the Swedish Space Center (SSC) in Kiruna, Sweden, this program launches gondolas with various scientific experiments using large helium balloons. We, therefore, decided that it was an excellent opportunity for us to develop a new experiment and send it flying. In addition, we saw in this program a means of engaging in a wider environment than we are used to dealing with, as it gave us the opportunity to work with students from all over Europe and with aerospace experts from ESA and other European institutions.

Photo: R.R.

Our project is based on a straightforward idea: taking advantage of a stratospheric flight to develop a potential navigation system. From the beginning, we were supported by Professor Sérgio Cunha, coordinator of the STRAPLEX project and our mentor in this project, and engineer Zaida Silva. The main purpose of the SIGNON experiment was to use existing signals of opportunity in the balloon’s flight zone (between Sweden and Finland) so that it would be possible to navigate exclusively using these signals, rather than GPS.

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This project, undoubtedly, had a very important role in our training as future engineers(...)

Essentially, what we mean are digital terrestrial television (DTT) signals, radio signals and air traffic signals and echoes reflected on the surface, which would also allow us to create a passive radar of the area over which the balloon flew.

This use of signals of opportunity as a navigation method has potential application in low-orbit (LEO) satellites, which currently use GPS signals to obtain their position. We thus view this new method of navigation as a reliable alternative to GPS, which poses restrictions to operation in orbit.

The whole process of developing the project began about a year before we reached the final launch phase, requiring us to successfully get through the various phases of selection. The pressure was intense because annually only about six or seven experiments are chosen.

In addition to this, we realized that we were the youngest age group in the competition and we were competing with European students at doctoral level.

To proceed with the project, tasks were divided into three main areas: mechanics, telecommunications and electronics. Although one member of the team was put in charge of each of these areas, the fact is that we all gave each other a great deal of mutual support. Regarding the set-up for the experiment, it worked as follows: we built four similar boxes, all with the same electronic material and the same design.

One of the boxes flew inside the gondola, while the other three were placed in strategic locations within the vicinity of the projected 100-km-long flight path and close to transmitters of the signals that we intended to record, so as we could pick up signals with the minimum of noise.

Each of the boxes had well defined recording frequencies which were synchronized with the box in the gondola, so that during data processing it would be possible to make correlations and thus calculate distances associated with the propagation time of the signals providing navigation information. The fact that all four boxes were the same gave us hours of work throughout the implementation phase as all the tests and calibration had to be done four times. Sometimes mistakes were difficult to identify in just one of the boxes, which made the process of guaranteeing a fully functional experiment much more

time consuming than if we had just invested in building a single box.

The launch campaign held in October in Kiruna, Sweden, was in fact the time when we felt the pressure most intensely. We had just 10 days to test all the work we had been doing for a year and we wanted to be successful! It was crucial for us to have the experiment already up and ready and fully functional since this allowed us to do tests in similar environments that we would encounter during the launch phase.

We came to realise that engineering projects often face last-minute problems after encountering some of these ourselves. It certainly tested our ability to overcome and deal with these situations in the best possible way in a short space of time. The day of the launch was without doubt the key milestone for the whole team. Being able to see our own experiment flying and achieving success at the end of a year’s work was a moment of great satisfaction and happiness that we will find hard to forget! At the end of January, the whole experiment will culminate with our participation in a conference for the global space industry.

We would also like to thank the technical team at FEUP for their invaluable support. This project undoubtedly had a very important role in our training as future engineers, allowing us to deal with real engineering problems and to interact with different realities from those we are used to. It was also very important because it allowed us to develop soft-skills essential for the job market. We have noticed that we have grown enormously both personally and in terms of working as a team and as future engineers. Of course, we have also been proud to represent our country and to prove that Portugal is a country full of people capable of bringing new ideas and projects to the world.

Given the success of FEUP’s participation in the BEXUS program, this line of research will continue this year with a broader team in the REXUS program involved in the SPAN (SPace Navigation using Signals of Opportunity) experiment. * 4th year students in the Integrated Masters in Electrical Engineering and Computers

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The centenary of the Technical Faculty: what are we celebrating?

Susana Medina*

As part of the centenary celebrations of the Technical Faculty, an exhibition “100 years of the Technical Faculty: historical documents” was presented at FEUP. The idea behind the exhibition was to bring to life the history and memory of one of the most important periods in the history of the teaching and learning of Engineering in Porto: the moment between the creation of the Technical Faculty in 1915 and its transformation into the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto in 1926. The exhibition took the form of documents and artefacts which had been stored in archives, libraries and the storerooms of the university of Porto. The study based on this evidence of life at the Technical Faculty and the intellectual production of its community revealed signs of transformation, typical of that time and how they were reflected in the development of the recently created school. On the other hand, the interpretation of these signs raised new questions concerning the historical process of the institution, which could reinforce the idea that this period in the history of the Technical Faculty was an important moment of transition in the continuum of the history of Engineering in the city of Porto and in the country.

Indeed, although the Polytechnic Academy of Porto (1837-1911) was a decisive landmark in the formalization of technical teaching with civil application in Porto, the validation of technical teaching at degree-level and its autonomy were only really accomplished with the creation of the Technical Faculty.

As the sociologist Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues (2002) stated, it was from 1911 onwards that Portuguese Engineering became established as an area of knowledge produced and transmitted in institutions of higher education. This was the year in which the Higher Institute of Technology was created and also the School of Engineering, attached to the Faculty of Sciences in the recently

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

created University of Porto. From 1911 to 1915, there was moment of transition, during which, in organic, pedagogical and financial terms, the teaching of Engineering was still dependent on the Faculty of Sciences. The School of Engineering began its activities with the same training program for its civil engineering course that the Polytechnic Academy had run before, struggling against lack of space and the lack of specialized teachers. During this period, there were, therefore, few real changes in terms of organization of teaching.

It was almost four years after the creation of the school attached to Faculty of Science that the greatest transformations took place in degree-level technical teaching.

In 1915, a budget law was passed which allowed the University of Porto to create a new faculty dedicated to the teaching of applied sciences. It should be said that the passing of this this law was mainly due to the repeated and persistent action of the Rector Francisco Gomes Teixeira and a group of teachers from the Faculty of Science – notably Augusto Nobre and Luís Woodhouse, who were joined by representatives from Porto civil society, together with group of members of the Republican parliament and of the then minister of Public Instruction João Martins Júnior. It was then considered strategically essential to the ensure the financial and political viability of the technical Faculty, with a view to ensuring an active role of the various special areas of Engineering in the interest of the republican ideal of technological and social modernization of the country.

As a result, the offer of Engineering courses with specific new branches was increased: Mechanical Engineering, Electrotechnical Engineering and Chemical and Industrial Engineering were added to Civil Engineering and Mining Engineering. There was also a significant change in the teaching methods as a practical component was added

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Photo: R.R.

TO PROMOTE

to the theoretical teaching of basic and applied sciences, in the form of work in the laboratory and workshops, apprenticeships and study visits, together with project work to be defended at the end of the course by students wishing to obtain a degree in Engineering. The evolution in teaching in comparison with that offered by the Polytechnic Institute was also strongly felt in the number and specialization of the courses offered, which rose from 8 to 29 in 1915 and to 32 in the restructuring of 1918.

However, although this transformation brought the teaching of Engineering in Porto closer to the progressive ideas of the country, it also limited the development of the recently created Faculty. In spite of the good will and effort of its creators, the climate of political and financial instability which existed during the Republican period, hindered creation of the conditions necessary for the new school. On the other hand, when Portugal entered the First World War in 1916, the growth of the faculty was affected, with fewer students and teachers due to the fact that reservists were incorporated into the national army.

It was also impossible to hire new teachers to fill places left empty, the number of degrees completed each year decreased and successive annual budgets were low.

The years following the great War marked the beginning of a new cycle of activity for the Technical Faculty.

Evidence of this is the frequency with which the name of the Faculty appeared publicly, through the organization of commemorative ceremonies, through participation in scientific acts and through presentations of results of academic work for the citizens of Porto. It is also worthy of note that it was during this period that by legal decree the Faculty laboratories began to collaborate with external entities, strengthening the ties between higher level technical teaching and the industrial and productive fabric of the region.

LuĂ­s Couto dos Santos (1872-1938) was the most outstanding figure in this period. He graduated as a Civil and Public Works Engineer from the Polytechnic Academy of Porto and was appointed Director of the Technical Faculty in 1919. With the energy and drive that was the trademark of his mandate, placing his characteristic entrepreneurial spirit at the service of the development of the faculty, he headed processes that were decisive in the improvement of the quality of teaching and research, in the construction of the identity of the Technical Faculty. This was reflected years later in the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, as well as in the confirmation of the social function of engineering.

As was mentioned earlier, the other significant date chosen to contextualize our research work was 1926, not only the year in which the Technical Faculty was transformed into the Faculty of Engineering, but also the year marked by the legal recognition of the title of Engineer through decree law nÂş 11988, dated 26th July of the same year.

Finally, I am convinced that there is still much to explore about the Technical University in the documental and museum archives collected by the Library and Information Services of FEUP. For now, the first phase of our mission has been accomplished: that which kindled my interest in the era of the Technical Faculty, which gave me the opportunity to relive and share this important moment, and to learn more about and organize the elements of identity, which over the years were at the source of ideas and shaped this collective body, FEUP. So having described past happenings, my work will continue inspired by possibilities for the future. fe.up.pt/centenariodatecnica * Museologist. Library and Information Service FEUP, Museum.

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FEUP collaborates in projects to promote science in primary and secondary education

Text: Raquel Pires Photo: D.R.

2015 saw the launch of the Society, School and Research project (SEI), part of Porto City Council’s Porto Knowledge program. In partnership with 21 public education institutions in the city, it aimed to promote scientific literacy and boost young people’s level of knowledge. It is also an attempt to bring the city’s higher education institutions and research centres closer to primary and secondary schools.

The invitation from Porto City Council came in the academic year 2015/16 and was welcomed by the Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto (FEUP) and Clara de Resende Secondary School. Of the 11 engineering proposals presented, two have been advanced: tasty pasta products and sustainable microbial energy.

10TH NATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR On May 30 and June 1, the 10th National Science Fair was held at the National Museum of Natural History and Science in Lisbon. A total of 100 projects were presented by 268 young people, supervised by 57 teachers.

The 12th year group from Clara de Resende High School participated in this initiative, with the sustainable microbial energy project initially developed within the SEI project. They were awarded the Special Energy Efficiency Prize, sponsored by the Energy Agency.

Not long afterwards, the same group participated from July 24 to 31 in the 34th Youth Science Meeting held in Almada. And once again they secured 1st place among all the national projects presented, giving them the chance to attend MILSET Expo-Sciences International 2017, which will take place in Fortaleza, Brazil, from August 6 to 12.

Coordinated by Professor Margarida Bastos (FEUP), the process of making flavoured pasta led 8th graders to the Faculty of Engineering’s laboratories as well as a visit to the cereal processing company Cerealis. They produced orange, tangerine, lemon and lime-flavored pasta using citrus fruit peel collected at home and in the school canteen. The project also served as an awareness campaign for waste. “The students were enthusiastic to realize that from the peel that usually ends up in the bin, they were able to extract a tube with aromas”, acknowledges the professor from the Department of Chemical Engineering at FEUP. The partnership turned out well and began again this school year with the same class at Clara de Resende School: they will remain dedicated to pasta, although trying to reduce the salt content by using salicornia, a plant that grows in large quantities in the marches around Aveiro. The goal is also to prepare pasta enriched in certain essential nutrients (essential fatty acids and certain vitamins).

During the experiment, students at Clara de Resende Secondary School were able to obtain values of potential difference in the prototype microbial fuel cell circuit that they constructed as part of the project. They also carried out tests aimed at using water polluted during school activity at the reactor, with a view to purifying it and simultaneously producing energy from the process.

The sustainable microbial energy project was directed at 12th year students. This was a highly multidisciplinary undertaking which applied research conducted by the Biofilms group at the Laboratory of Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE), in collaboration with researchers from the Transport Phenomena Research Centre (CEFT), both at FEUP. According to Manuel Simões, the project “is attractive because of the size of its potential benefit: it can treat wastewater; it can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce oxygen; it can produce electricity through cellular metabolism; and biotechnological products can even be obtained from the biomass formed in the process”.

The partnership was inspiring and set the scene for a new year of experience sharing. “Contact with an institution of higher education with such a prestigious and international track record was highly motivating for both students and teachers. What interested us was being able to put into operation, through research and practical application, some of the theoretical concepts that we had worked on in subject areas across the various scientific fields”, acknowledges Ângela Andrade, deputy head of Clara de Resende High School. In addition, it provides a unique opportunity for students to see for themselves the practical applications of the courses offered by FEUP in several different areas.

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2016 ANNUAL

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This year marks the 179th anniversary of what was the first engineering school in the country (Academia Politécnica). The “FEUP Day” ceremony is a very special day for the Faculty of Engineering community since it gives public recognition to the professional and personal success of students, lecturers and researchers as well as the technical staff of ADN FEUP, reinforcing the spirit of the academic community.

The guest speaker was António Amorim, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Corticeira Amorim.

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This was the first time an alumni meeting ever took place in Brazil. A dinner party was held in São Paulo for the entire community of former graduate and mobility students from FEUP. The aim of this relaxed gathering was to strengthen relationships and offer a networking opportunity as well as the chance to meet up and get together with former colleagues. The meeting served as an excellent social forum for bringing together 20 alumni of varying age to share their academic and business experiences.

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Alfredo Soeiro, professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at FEUP, was awarded the “Global Engineering Education Award” from the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) Society, who bestowed the prize in recognition of his esteemed career and work in Engineering Education, and his dedication to the field of industrial engineering and operations management.

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Build a low-cost prototype or solve a case study in just 24 hours: these were the challenges set by the European BEST Engineering Competition, EBEC Porto.

Around 60 teams took part in the test with a total of 240 participants, who pulled out all the stops to guarantee their passage to the national phase. The event takes place during the weekend throughout the corridors and rooms of FEUP, in a non-stop round-the-clock format. Its main aim is to test to the limit students’ technical and creative skills as well as their ability to improvise and think on their feet.

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Photo: Filipe Paiva

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Photo: Susana Neves

Photo: Egídio Santos

14 15 16 28 Another edition of Profession: Engineer Week (SPE) was held, with 68 activities spread among 24 courses ready to be carried out by around 1,500 secondary school students. Promoted by FEUP, this is a unique opportunity for secondary school students to have a closer look at the Faculty’s educational program. The five professions intended to raise awareness of the multidisciplinary side of engineering this year were: “I’m Saving the Planet”, “I’m Designing the new Man”, “I’m Creating the Future Society”, “I’m Making companies more competitive” and “I’m Building a new World”.

Integrated in the celebrations of the Centenary of the Technical Faculty, a concert commemorating 100 years of Chemical Engineering of the University of Porto was held on April 28 at the FEUP Auditorium. Promoted by the Chemical Engineering Department, the Scientific Committee of the Integrated Master in Chemical Engineering and supported by the FEUP Cultural Commission, the concert included music with chemical ramifications and featured the national debut of a piece of Julian Wagstaff composed specifically for the International Year of Chemistry.

As part of its 105th anniversary celebrations, the University of Porto awarded the title of Emeritus Professor to a select group of retired professors who have made and/ or continue to make a special contribution to the University. Of the seven professors and researchers distinguished with this honour, six are from FEUP: José Luís Figueiredo, Joaquim Silva Gomes, Artur Pimenta Alves, Raimundo Delgado, Pedro Guedes de Oliveira and Fernando Nunes Ferreira.

Discovering Porto through the eyes of Civil Engineering was the main objective of the cycle of visits and conferences held in the city of Porto, promoted by FEUP’s Department of Civil Engineering. The initiative, named “Where is Civil Engineering?”, opened with a visit to the interior of the S. João Bridge, one of the most emblematic engineering works of the “Invicta” city.

It was followed by visits to the Clérigos Tower, São João Theatre and the University of Porto Rectory building.

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FEUP formalized a protocol with Gap Year Portugal, allowing 1st cycle (undergraduate) students in Higher Education who are on sabbatical leave to try out, over a fortnight, the 10 courses taught at the Faculty of Engineering.

In total, there are 20 places available to these students. Regarded as a great tradition in English-speaking countries like Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the USA, the Gap Year is a school year during which students take a break from their daily routine, usually in another country, for the purpose of travelling, volunteering, interning, gaining self-knowledge or getting professional experience.

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A group of FEUP researchers were distinguished in Spain with the Best Paper Award under “HEAD’16 – Second International Conference on Higher Education Advances”. Authored by Ana C.R. Paiva, Nuno H. Flores and Pedro Letra and entitled “Software Engineering Management Education through Game Design Patterns”, the award-winning article addresses the importance of “serious games” for software engineering, particularly in terms of learning conceptual ideas related to this vast area of knowledge.

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A team of FEUP researchers joined the initiative “Rapid Environmental Picture 2016” (REP16), an annual exercise that aims to test, evaluate and validate networked unmanned autonomous vehicles in environments defined according to Portuguese Navy specifications. This was the seventh edition of REP16 and took place off the coast of Sesimbra and Setúbal.

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Finding a room in a particular hospital, a shop in a mall, or the work of art that you want to see in an exhibition centre can often be an exasperating challenge, hampered by a maze of contradictory directions. But what if it is possible to find the right way quickly and with just the help of a smartphone and… sound? This is the proposal of the creators of Audio GPS, a global localization technology for interior spaces developed by three researchers from FEUP, which was the big winner of the 2016 edition of iUP25k, the University of Porto’s Business Ideas Contest and the 2016 Edition of IDEAS - Born from Knowledge promoted by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

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ENGENHARIA FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 51 FACULDADE 2017 FACULTY DE ENGENHARIA OF ENGINEERING DA UNIVERSIDADE - UNIVERSITY OF DOPORTO PORTO

The Portuguese Government awarded two FEUP researchers and cathedratic teachers: Alírio Rodrigues and Pedro Guedes de Oliveira were distinguished with the Merit Medals of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, for their highly contribution to Science and Tecnology development. The award ceremony took place during the biggest national science meeting “Ciência 2016”, in Lisbon.

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Photo: R.R.

Photo: R.R.

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Photo: Egídio Santos

08 10 “The Voice of Industry” is the name given to a series of conferences promoted by FEUP’s Industry Liaison Committee aimed at entrepreneurs and industrialists with links to Portuguese business to discuss emerging issues. The inaugural session focused on Industry 4.0 and was attended by more than 125 participants.

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Ridding FEUP of cigarette ends: this was the main aim of the winning idea in the 1st phase of the 2016 edition of the Most Sustainable Ideas contest, presented by Daniel Freitas, student of the Master’s degree in Service and Management Engineering, and selected from over 50 proposals submitted. The idea involves placing specially-designed transparent containers throughout the campus in which to put questions calling on the community to participate, and using cigarette ends themselves for the ballot.

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Around 200 participants attended the first edition of “Homecoming” - Regresso a casa - an event which, as its name suggests, was specially designed for alumni, but also aimed at current students, professors and auxiliary staff.

This was the first time that FEUP had organized such a social gathering for all its courses and appealing to all generations. It was a great opportunity for former students to meet up again at the place that for several years had indeed been their second home. This special get-together was certainly a very lively event with the invitation extending to family members, not forgetting the children, who enjoyed all the activities, especially the inflatables, and had a lot of fun!

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A new laboratory was set up in the city of Porto to support the manufacturing industry: FABTEC. This is the name given to the Laboratory of Processes and Technologies for Advanced Production Systems, which intends to provide innovative solutions for companies by trying them out in a learning-factory. FEUP, INESC TEC and INEGI are bringing together over 30 years’ worth of multidisciplinary skills and experience, both at national and European level, to better contribute to and strengthen the competitiveness of national manufacturing companies and suppliers of production technologies.

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This was the second edition of an event specially designed for FEUP’s staff. “FEUP Summer Sunset” is an occasion to get together and relax and also marks the end of the academic year and the arrival of summer. Music, snacks and a guest DJ were some of the ingredients of a very sunny afternoon, which also served a supportive role: to collect donations for the AACC - “Association for Social Care and Accommodation”, which aims to support and encourage integration of children, young people and women in active adult life, with a view to social inclusion and combating violence, poverty and social exclusion.

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FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

These three days at FEUP were dedicated entirely to employment opportunities, with stands from 50 companies recruiting new talent and 1,500 job offers in the area of engineering. The FEUP Career Fair is an initiative designed not only for finalist students, but also for those from other years and alumni.

Carlos Costa was appointed by the General Council of the University of Porto as the new Student Ombudsman for the University of Porto. Although the Ombudsman has no power of decision, it is to this body that students can - individually or collectively - present complaints related to the actions or failures of the institutions, services and agencies pertaining to the University and its Organizational Units, as well as put forward suggestions, in particular regarding pedagogical or social action issues.

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The MSc in Multimedia at the University of Porto celebrated its 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the course management invited the whole community to participate in a series of Lectures, Workshops, Game Jam, Project Showcase, an Employment Fair and other activities. The event was held mainly for the student community of the University of Porto and alumni of the Masters, in its various specializations - Culture and Arts, Education, Interactive Music and Sound Design and Technologies, but outside bodies were also invited to attend.

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The University of Porto, through FEUP, is one of eight institutions from three different countries collaborating on “STOP CO2”, a project led by the Cantabrian Ministry of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, through the Foundation ‘Cantabria Technological Centre for Integral Logistics’. Its main objective is to increase the energy efficiency of bus and train stations in south-west Europe. This consortium was one of 36 projects approved by the Transregional Cooperation Program ‘Interreg Sudoe’ for the period 2014-2020, selected from among nearly 500 applications.

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FEUP pulled off a genuine hat trick by winning first, second and third place in the 21st edition of the REN awards, an annual prize that honours the best Master’s theses in the field of energy. “Gold” was won by Pedro Castro, a fifth-year student of the Integrated Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering (MIEEC), while in second place was Jorge Filipe, also a student of MIEEC and, finally, third place on the podium was taken by André Silva, again of the same Master’s.

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FEUP was hailed by the Order of Engineers (OE) as the most emblematic success story in Portuguese Engineering over the last 80 years in the field of Civil Engineering, being one of the 12 institutions/projects (one for each of the 12 Engineering specialties structured within the Order) distinguished with an OE | 80 years Trophy.

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The FEUP community came together at an event honouring those students who completed their Master’s course at the end of 2015 and in 2016. The New Masters Ceremony takes place annually to pay tribute to academic success, with a distinctly family atmosphere. The program for the gathering included the presentation of Merit Awards, given to those students who distinguished themselves the most during the course, awarded by companies and other FEUP authorities.

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FEUP’s Cultural Commission organized an event to publicly showcase the project “Circulation of techniques (micro-choreography in the laboratory)”, undertaken by Joclécio Azevedo. This project was carried out around an artistic residency held between May and November 2016, and subsequently developed through a performance laboratory.

One of the four merit grants awarded in Portugal by the Fulbright Commission to Professors and Researchers in 2016/2017 was won by Joana Loureiro, a researcher in the Department of Chemical Engineering at FEUP. Her awardwinning work is based on the development of controlled drug delivery systems for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

07

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Domingos Silva Matos, civil engineer at EDP Production, and a former student and lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering at FEUP, was the coordinator of the Baixo Sabor Hydroelectric Plant Project, recently distinguished with the 2014 SECIL Civil Engineering Award. This accolade is bestowed every four years, honouring the most significant project in the area of Civil Engineering.

22

FEUP HIGHLIGHTS 2017 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING - UNIVERSITY OF PORTO

FEUP IN FIGURES 2016 EDUCATION

STUDY PROGRAMMES

STUDENTS ADMITTED ENROLLED GRADUATING

3

Undergraduate Programmes

Undergraduate and Integrated Master programmes

9

Integrated Masters

10

2ND CYCLE

1ST CYCLE

DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Master Programmes

5549

876

Master programmes

248

473

147

PhD programmes

213

703

119

1790

6725

1142

Total

21

3RD CYCLE

1305

PhD Programmes

NON-DEGREE PROGRAMMES

4 Specialisations and Advanced Studies

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

EMPLOYMENT RATE on graduation

up to 3 months

33%

up to 6 months

68%

79%

366

501

418

Mobility students OUTGOING

Mobility students* INCOMING

Degree students*

* International students represent 8.3% of the students enrolled Studied sample: 862 master graduates in engineering in 2015/2016 Response Rate: 74%

QUALITY INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS RANK

QS-WUR BY SUBJECT

PORTUGAL

EUROPE

WORLD

Chemical Engineering

1

24-38

101-150

Civil Engineering

1

15-33

51-100

Electrical and Computer Eng.

1

50-64

151-200

PORTUGAL

EUROPE

WORLD

PORTUGAL

EUROPE

WORLD

QS - Eng.

2

67

184

ARWU - Eng.

2

36-57

151-200

NTU - Eng.

2

37-38

162-163

CWTS Leiden - Eng. * 2

31

142

NTU BY SUBJECT

URAP - Eng.

2

21

95

Civil Engineering

2

13

58

Best Global - Eng

2

29

101

Chemical Engineering

1

16

80-81

Mechanical Engineering

2

23

84-87

* Ranking using the indicator P - number of publications

R&D AND INNOVATION

R&D STRUCTURES WITH PARTICIPATION OF FEUP ACADEMIC STAFF

R&D units hosted at FEUP

COOPERATION

Cooperation agreements with companies

7 14 94%

R&D units whose host institution is external to FEUP FEUP academic staff participating in R&D Structures rated Exceptional, Excellent or Very Good, or Associated Laboratories

80 358

Cooperation agreements with international universities

24/145 12 42 21

Patent applications filed/cumulative total

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

Invention disclosures/cumulative total Tech transfer deals - cumulative total

804

Scientific publications indexed to the ISI Web of Science It represents 20.5% of the publications of University of Porto, which corresponds to more than 23% of the Portuguese publications (provisional figures)

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

RESOURCES HUMAN RESOURCES

60.5 % 39.5 %

396

Teaching staff (FTE*)

International staff: 16.5%

93% Holding a PhD

*Full-time equivalent

366

Researchers (FTE*)

345

91%

**

Technical and administrative staff (FTE)

Research fellows

** About 25% belong to UPdigital and the new shared services of U.Porto (SPUP).

FINANCES

24,952 23,967 48,919

State Budget (51.0%) Own income (49.0%) Total income (thousand €)

10,178 8,498 3,380 1,911

R&D projects Tuition fees Sales and services Other

BIN@SHEFFIELD ™

BUSINESS & INNOVATION NETWORK

30 October to 1 November 2017 Sheffield, United Kingdom The University of Sheffield is organizing the 8th international BIN@TM event that will be held at the city of Sheffield, in the United Kingdom. The programme will include open session with keynote speakers, thematic Action Tanks, short Innovation courses, start-up’s presentations and much more.

BIN@TM is an international network of academic and industry partners engaged and supporting the creation of a sustainable forum for sharing good practice and opportunities in Innovation.

We connect partners from across disciplines and industrial sectors and create opportunities for collaboration. We develop partnerships that deliver value and impact.

CONNECT | SHARE | GROW www.businessandinnovation.net

www.binsheffield2017.com

Organised by:

Partners: